Four thousand. That’s the number of people who were displaced from their homes after one of the largest disasters in Europe for many decades: the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka Dam. On the other hand, while this was an enormous disaster that had many political and social effects, no one is quite sure what exactly happened.
Three Theories
Three theories have been the most prominent so far: Russia was responsible for the collapse after setting a bomb off inside the dam, Ukraine had destroyed it, or the dam collapsed due to the plain fact that it just was not structurally stable. In support of the first theory, Russia had been in control of the dam for the past year making it easy for them to plant a bomb inside; nevertheless, Russia has denied any involvement and blamed Ukraine.
In fact, Russians were quick to point out that they were also negatively affected by the collapse since “some of the areas worst hit by the disaster are under Russia’s control and have in the past served as staging grounds for Moscow’s military.”
However, it could have also been neither sides’ fault and simply collapsed. While Craig Goff, a consultant for civil engineering and environmental hydraulics, said that “it would be extremely unusual for this type of dam to fail with no warning,” the dam had sustained prior damage during Russia’s invasion. Furthermore, not many know how well Russia had maintained the dam after seizing it and poor management could have resulted in this collapse.
Tragic Effects
While tensions between Russia and Ukraine lead to distrust and suspicion, citizens of both countries are dealing with the results. Many had underestimated the amount of flooding and their homes and belongings had paid the price.
An officer at the State Special Transport Administration called Maksym Trykur said that “We lack practically everything. Boats, walkie-talkies, generators, first necessity things… because what happened is unprecedented. All services are involved. Sappers are doing an amazing job clearing the mines carried by the flow… Everyone is working on the verge of their possibilities.”
Many people, young and old, are stranded on the roofs of their houses waiting for someone to help them; at least thirty other citizens were admitted to a hospital after contracting hypothermia. This was a terrible disaster that is affecting the lives of so many people who have lost their homes, belongings, and sometimes even family members and friends. People around the world are attempting to uncover the source of this issue which is still shrouded in mystery.